A Pine Bluff man was mauled and killed Saturday morning by a pack of pit bull terriers, according to the Jefferson County sheriff's office.
Sheriff's spokesman Maj. Lafayette Woods Jr. said De'Trick Omar Johnson, 36, of Pine Bluff had taken his vehicle to CJ's Garage at 300 Thomas Road for servicing when he was attacked by the dogs. Woods said a 911 caller told operators that Johnson arrived at the property, exited his vehicle and was immediately attacked.
The sheriff's office received the 911 call at 9:53 a.m. Saturday and the responding deputy arrived at 9:58 a.m., Woods said.
"The deputy arrived and saw [Johnson] on the ground," Woods said. "At that point in time, it appeared as though [he] was still alive, moving at least. The deputy hit his air horn and tried to exit his vehicle. When he did that, he gained attention of at least one of the dogs. The dog charged him and jumped in the car. The deputy tased the dog, and the dog continued to be combative and be aggressive. The deputy ended up actually shooting the dog."
The deputy chased the remaining six dogs from Johnson, but when the deputy checked Johnson, he "was pretty much expired by that time," Woods said.
Other deputies arrived, along with Pine Bluff Animal Services, and the dogs continued acting aggressively toward authorities, Woods said. Three dogs were then shot on the property while another two were captured without incident.
One dog, described as brown and white, ran away, Woods said. Authorities were still searching for that dog Saturday evening.
Johnson was pronounced dead at the scene by the Jefferson County coroner's office.
The dogs belonged to the owner of the garage, who Woods said was John Chester Smith, 62.
Woods said that Smith had been warned in the past about his dogs and their aggressive behavior.
"We are investigating right now to see what charges, if any, can be brought against Mr. Smith as the result of the previous complaints leading up to this attack today," Woods said.
Metro on 03/22/2015